Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, July 23: The 15th J&K UT Shooting Championship-2026 commenced today at the Shooting Range of the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS), J&K, and the Mission Olympic Shooting Academy (MOSAJ), Jammu, with more than 200 shooters from across the Union Territory participating in the five-day championship.
The championship was inaugurated by Surinder Singh Sodhi, President, J&K Rifle Association (JKRA), in the esteemed presence of Kuldeep Singh Jamwal, Chairman, JKRA; Sharat Chander Singh, General Secretary/CEO, JKRA; Manu Pratap Singh Wazir, Joint Secretary, JKRA; Arun Mansotra, Treasurer, JKRA; and Sukhdev Sharma, District Officer, Youth Services and Sports, Jammu.
The championship is being organised by the J&K Rifle Association (JKRA) under the aegis of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) in collaboration with the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS), J&K, and is sponsored by the J&K Sports Council. The competitions are being held from July 23 to 27 at the DYSS Shooting Range, Gandhi Nagar, the Mission Olympic Shooting Academy, Jammu, and the NCC Shooting Range, Nagrota.
Speaking on the occasion, Surinder Singh Sodhi described shooting as a sport of discipline, concentration and precision. He appreciated the growing participation of young boys and girls from Jammu and Kashmir, saying it reflects the region's immense sporting talent and the positive impact of sustained efforts to promote shooting sports in the Union Territory.
Welcoming the participants, Sharat Chander Singh, General Secretary/CEO, JKRA and Organising Secretary of the championship, encouraged the young shooters to strive for excellence, maintain the highest standards of sportsmanship and continue bringing laurels to Jammu and Kashmir at national and international levels.
On the opening day, Dharya Kotwal of Mission Olympic Shooting Academy emerged as the leading shooter in the Girls Rifle (NR) category, while Laksh Chetan Wazir topped the Boys Rifle (NR) category. In the Pistol (NR) events, Rahil Shan led the Boys category with 366 points, while Shweta Mehra topped the Girls category with 363 points.
Kuldeep Singh Jamwal proposed the vote of thanks and expressed gratitude to the dignitaries, officials, coaches, technical staff and participants for their support. The championship is being conducted by a technical panel comprising Rajesh Virdhy, Vishal Mehra, Pranav Sambyal, Sahil Sharma, Vijay Kumar, Surjeet Singh, Aman Singh, Renu Devi and Vishal Sharma.
